Loring Hall

65 Main Street,

Hingham,
MA02043

The Quincy Patriot-Ledger had a feature article on Sat. March 31, 2012 titled “Small Theaters' Fade-Out? – Digital technology puts neighborhood cinemas at risk of vanishing.” It quotes someone from Patriot Cinemas as saying that they will keep 35mm projection at Loring Hall for as long as they can. “We do very well there”, he says. The article has a color photo, apparently taken at a recent matinee showing of “Albert Nobbs”. The photo shows part of the auditorium looking front to back. I counted 57 people there, 6 of whom are sitting in the balcony.

Loring Hall was on a long list of theaters and halls receiving licenses in MA for the year ending Oct. 31, 1914. It was being run by the Trustees of the Loring Hall Association, and it was in Good condition.

The current cinema operation at Loring Hall dates back to the mid-1930s, but the place was used for movie exhibition prior to that time, because it’s listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook. It lists Loring Hall in Hingham as having 420 seats and operating 2 days per week.

According to this Patriot Ledger article, Loring Hall was burgled earlier this week. Apparently, the 300-pound safe was stolen from the building, raided, and dumped in a sewer grate. The safe was recovered by Hingham police, with an underminate amount of cash and movie passes stolen.

The new Hingham Shipyard Cinema opened during the last week of July. It has 6 screens and a total of about 1,000 seats, all stadium-style. Although it is close to Loring Hall, Patriot Cinemas say that the latter will remain open. I believe that the new cinema is all-new construction and did not go into an existing structure.

As of a month or so ago, Loring Hall’s operator Patriot Cinemas has expressed interest in running a proposed new multiplex to be constructed on the east side of Route 3A in Hingham. They say that they will continue running Loring Hall as an art-film house.

Loring Hall is presenting the “Nutcracker” ballet in high-def as performed by the Kirov Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. There will be 6 performances during the Christmas season at $10 kids, $15 adults.

Some people I know attended the show on Sunday and report that there was only about $500 in gross revenue there, but the performance, which was not live, went off perfectly and the theater employees stated that in the future there would be more than one day’s notice prior to the shows. There will be several more operas from Italy this season.

Loring Hall has gotten into the net of cinemas showing opera performances from theaters in Italy. I’m not sure if these are live simulcasts, or on “delay”. On Sunday, Dec. 7th, they will present at 1 PM “The Barber of Seville” from la Fenice theater in Venice.

I remember Loring Hall, from the time back in the fall of 1964, when my parents took me and my younger sister to see the then-new Beatles movie “A Hard Day’s Night”, which was a cool film. I was an 8th grader back then, and the Beatles were still quite popular and in vogue. Loring Hall’s a very attractive, homey-looking little theatre, with an intimate air to it, both outside and in. We all enjoyed the movie for a very cheap price.

Loring Hall is a neat little cinema which, like the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, was created in an existing old building. It really is a Landmark in Hingham square. The MGM Theatre Photograph & Report form for the Loring has a photo taken in April 1941. There was no marquee, but there were poster cases on either side of the 3 front doors. The photo quality is not good enough to read what is on the posters. The Report states that the theatre has been showing MGM product for 5 years; the condition is Fair; andthere are 304 seats on the main floor and 90 in the balcony, total 394.

Loring Hall currently has seating for 325 patrons. 75 Balcony (snug) seats and 250 seats on the main floor. The Floors in the auditorium and balcony are all hard wood. The inside decor is stark white walls and ceiling with red retractable curtains covering the screen. Unfortunately in 1996 the curtain motor burned out and the company has decided to just leave the curtain in the open position. The seats are 1970’s style covered with red vinal to match the curtain. The seats are not comfortable for longer films. The site line are pretty good throughout the theatre. The A/C and Heating systems are very tempermental…sometimes this company goes weeks at a time without one or the other working. During heavy rains the roof does leak which may cause you to have to move your seat during the show. The theatre is not Hadicap accessible and the heating ducts show evidence of asbestos. The lobby is extremely small and there are no doors blocking sound from entering the auditorium, so if you sit toward the back of the theatre you can hear the staff doing there work (or goofing off).